Blood drives coming to Sherbrooke, Magog
The Sherbrooke Phoenix Hockey Club, the Sherbrooke Police, and the Delta Sherbrooke Hotel are jointly organizing a holiday blood drive on Wednesday, November 29, at the Grand Salon Sherbrooke B & C at the Delta Sherbrooke Hotel, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in collaboration with Hémaquébec.
Phoenix head coach Stéphane Julien and Det. Sgt Mélanie Bédard will serve as Honorary Presidents of the collection.
SPS support dog, Kanak, will accompany Det. Sgt Bédard: "Kanak makes a big difference in the lives of small victims through simple little actions,” Bédard says. “You too, by a very simple gesture, can make a big difference in people's lives. Your blood donation will save lives."
Players and coaching staff from the Phoenix will greet donors and Phoenix and SPS mascots, Onyx and Polion, will also be on site. There will also be a daycare area for toddlers to have fun while their parents make a living donation.
The goal of welcoming 400 people during the day is an ambitious one, according to Héma-québec's counselor Stéphanie Côté. "Since the opening of Plasmavie in Sherbrooke, career donors have migrated. They give regularly, so it's sometimes harder to attract people to drives, but we are confident of reaching our goal. "
On Thursday, December 7, Magog mayor, Vicki-may Hamm Honorary President, Véronique Lettre, are hosting the 19th Edition of the Magog municipal drive.
"Over the years, the City of Magog has hosted thousands of donors, with an average of 300 donations per drive,” says the mayor. “We can be proud of the generosity of the citizens of Magog. As we approach the holiday season, we are calling on the public to continue this tradition and help maintain the Héma-québec blood supply at an optimal level so that it can help the sick or injured. This drive is an opportunity for healthy citizens to make an invaluable gift to people in vulnerable situations," she added, adding that a single blood donation can save up to four lives.
Véronique Lettre, author and owner of L'atelier C on Principale St. West made a sincere appeal to the cause. "It's an honor for me to be Honorary President of Magog's 19th blood drive. My desire in settling here was to get actively involved in the community. I also needed several transfusions when I had brain cancer a few years ago. I used to donate blood at the time and I never thought I would have to get one. You can really save lives, an extraordinary gesture just a few days before Christmas."
In Quebec, 1,000 donors are needed every day to meet the demand of hospitals, yet only three per cent of the Quebec population eligible for blood donation makes this gesture of solidarity.